Where and when to visit these amazing castles in the United States
Even though fairytale castles are associated with medieval Europe –especially in the UK-, America is actually home to some of the most astonishing castles and palaces in the world. If you live in the U.S., now is your chance to visit these magical places, and if you don’t the only thing you need to know is where to find them and when to visit.
In this article, Don Burns will show you some of America’s most amazing castle. Though they’re not nearly as old as the fortresses in the European countryside, many of them were built in the 19th and early 20th centuries by millionaires as residences, and some of their designs are frankly unique.
Bannerman Castle
Located in the Pollepel Island, New York, this castle was built in 1901 by Frank Bannerman, a Scottish immigrant who settled with his family in Brooklyn, where he began producing weapons. The castle was initially constructed a mock Scottish castle to use as an arsenal. Its particular location was picked by on of Bannerman’s sons on a day he spotted an island while he was canoeing, and it hasn’t been the most adequate to keep the building at its best due to the storms and harsh weather.
Currently, the official Historic Hudson River Towns website recommends staying away from visiting the island where the castle is located, due to a very treacherous combination of buried hazards and dangerous wall conditions.
Gillette Castle
This castle was built in 1914 by William Hooker Gillette, a famous actor, director and playwright. It is located in East Haddam, Connecticut and even though its façade looks like a ruin, on the inside, the castle is full of modern innovations and eccentricities — like an elaborate 3.2-mile railroad with mini trains riding around the property.
Since Gillette never married or had children, the castle was taken over by the state of Connecticut in 1943. It was turned into a museum and it is open for visiting daily.
Hearst Castle
Located in San Simeon, California and finished in 1947, this castle was built by William Randolf Hearst, who wished to construct a retreat he called La Cuesta Encantada (Enchanted Hill). It has a significant art collection, two ornate pools, and vast gardens full of exotic flowers, among other fine details.
This castle particularly interesting since it was built to fit Hearst’s collections of art, books and old ceilings. For this reason, you may find odd things like long bookshelves inside a private cinema and rooms with such different styles thanks to the old ceilings which dictated the proportions and decor of them.
The castle belongs to the California State Park System, it is open for tours daily and attracts millions of travelers every year.
Bishop’s Palace (Gresham Castle)
This castle has a Victorian style mixed with weird materials like rare woods, colored stones, cast-iron galleries, stained-glass windows, Romanesque and Tudor arches, and bronze dragons. It was built by lawyer and railroad entrepreneur Colonel Walter Gresham and architect Nicholas Clayton from 1887 to 1892 and it is all made of stone, being sturdy enough to withstand the great hurricane of 1900.
Originally named Greshman Castle, the place was bought in 1923 by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galveston. It served as the residence for Bishop Christopher E. Byrne and after the diocesan offices were moved to Houston, it was opened to the public in 1963, with the intention of funding the Newman Center, operating in the basement, serving Catholic students at the nearby University of Texas Medical Branch.
Castle in the Clouds
Located in Moultonborough, New Hampshire, this castle was built from 1913–1914 high in the sky in the Ossipee Mountain Range by the shoe manufacturer and millionaire Tom Plant. The castle is a great example of Arts and Crafts architecture, focused on achieving harmony with nature. It is relatively small –it only has 16 rooms- and modest but has many different innovations such as jigsaw floor, a self-cleaning oven, and a central vacuuming system.
Castle in the Clouds opened as a tourist attraction in 1956. Today owned and operated by the not for profit organization Castle Preservation Society. It is open every day from late May to early October and visitors can take a trolley up the mountain.
Lyndhurst Castle
Designed in 1838 by Alexander Jackson Davis, this place was the home of former New York City mayor William Paulding, merchant George Merritt and railroad tycoon Jay Gould. Located in Tarrytown, New York, it has a beautiful view of the Hudson River and has a wealth of decorative arts.
The castle has a unique gothic style and asymmetric look. Its hallways are narrow, windows small and sharply arched, and ceilings are fantastically peaked, vaulted, and ornamented. It sits within a park, designed in the English naturalistic style by Ferdinand Mangold, where you can find surrounding swamps, created lawns, planted specimen trees, and a conservatory.
The Castle was donated in 1961 by Gould’s daughter Anna Gould to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Since then, it has been opened to the public for tours Friday through Monday.
To read more about some of the most fantastic castles you can find in America, click here.
